The government’s plans to add billions of pounds to the UK economy and create hundreds of high-skilled jobs by unlocking opportunities in the new space age, were outlined by the Science Minister Sam Gyimah yesterday (Thursday 15 March).

Developing the UK space sector is a crucial aspect of the government’s modern and ambitious Industrial Strategy and during a visit to the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton, the Minister announced 8 ground-breaking satellite data projects, which will demonstrate the potential of using satellite technology to solve challenges faced by society.

As part of his visit, Sam Gyimah toured NOC’s Marine Robotics Innovation Centre, which houses the Boaty McBoatface autosub

Part of the UK Space Agency’s Space for Smarter Government programme, the schemes include a project with Bournemouth Borough Council which will use satellite data and machine learning to map out where charge points for electric vehicles can be installed.

Other projects include using satellites to monitor and mitigate air pollution, enhancing healthcare and urban air quality management, and deploying satellites and drones in the battle against marine waste.

During his visit, the Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:

The UK is leading a new space race. 50 years ago countries were competing to send the first man to the moon, now the new race is on to develop the commercial space sector and spaceports.

Through the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, we are laying the ground work to boost the UK’s space sector with record investment in our world leading science sector. With the passing of the Space Industry Act, and the new satellite data projects, we are one step closer to launching satellites from UK soil and offering low gravity spaceflights from the UK.

The Space Industry Act is the most modern piece of space industry regulation anywhere in the world, enabling the first ever commercial space launch from UK soil. It will open up the universe to businesses, allowing them to better compete in the commercial space race using UK spaceports, and taking advantage of future developments, including hypersonic flight and high-speed point-to-point transport.

The passing of the Space Industry Act and the 8 new projects will open up a new space era for the UK ensuring it becomes a leading destination for space flight. In addition, companies will have greater access to commercial space opportunities, increasing the UK’s share of the global space industry – currently 6.5% – and growing the sector which is currently worth £13.7 billion to the British economy.

National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is part of the Natural Environment Research Council, and houses the infamous Boaty McBoatface autosub and other equipment used for research under the sea.

FIONA POLLARD

Fiona Pollard runs her own events company and also sits on several boards.

After a career in the city working in the derivatives sector with a number of international banks, Fiona ran the Hop Farm Country Park in Kent until 2006. She still has close connections with the County organising the Leeds Castle Classical Concert each summer. She is a former Board member of SEEDA and the Kent Messenger group of radio stations as well as being a founder member of the Kent Tourism Alliance and one of the original Trustees behind Turner Contemporary.

Following several years living in Australia, Fiona has recently returned to the UK and now lives in Bath where she is on the Board of the Roman Baths, one of the most visited tourist attractions in England.

ALLAN LAMBERT

Allan Lambert has a proven track record within the UK Travel & Tourism sector. He has gained wide ranging experience in a number of senior leadership roles within many of the leading private and publicly owned UK holidays providers. Allan is the Managing Director – Property & Portfolio for Wyndham Vacation Rentals UK, encompassing Cottages.com and Hoseasons. Previous roles include Managing Director, Blue Chip Holidays and senior Commercial and Marketing roles within Bourne Leisure Ltd – Haven Holidays, Warner Leisure Hotels and Butlins.

Allan is an ambassador for the charity Family Holiday Association and holds no other public appointments.

The roles are remunerated at £275 for 1.5 days a month. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Both Fiona and Allan have declared no such political activity.

Rupert Gavin is a well-established figure in the world of business, media and the arts. From 2005-2014 he was CEO of Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group, building it to be the largest cinema company in Europe. Prior to this, he was CEO of BBC Worldwide for seven years, during which time he was responsible for all global commercial activities, including TV channels, co-productions, magazines, books and home entertainment, was recipient of the Queen’s Award for Exports, and a member of the BBC’s Executive Committee. Other senior business appointments have included: Managing Director, Consumer Division of British Telecom, Deputy Managing Director of Dixons Stores Group and Board Director of Virgin Mobile. For many years, Mr Gavin was a director and shareholder of The Ambassador Theatre Group, now the most substantial theatre company in the world. He has produced/co-produced over 100 theatre productions since 1981, many of them award-winning. He has also served as Governor of the National Film and Television School, and Treasurer of the Contemporary Art Society. Currently, Mr Gavin is a board director of Wyevale Garden Centres, a board director of Countrywide plc, executive chairman of his West End theatre producing company Incidental Colman, chairman of Theatre CoProductions Ltd., and Master of the Worshipful Company of Grocers. He has one other Ministerial appointment, as Chairman of the Arts and Media Honours Committee. Mr Gavin has been Chair of the Historic Royal Palaces since May 2015.

The role is not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Rupert has declared no such political activity.

The dialogue involved a fruitful exchange of views on political and bilateral issues, economic and development cooperation, security and defence cooperation, and exchanges on current global issues, including the Rohingya crisis. The UK commended Bangladesh for hosting over one million forcibly displaced Burmese nationals. Bangladesh welcomed the UK’s assurance that it remains committed to keeping the international spotlight on the Rohingya crisis, and to supporting Bangladesh in its humanitarian response and the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of the Rohingya to Burma.

The Strategic Dialogue was led by Permanent Under-Secretary of the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald, and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque of the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting began with both sides noting the success of the inaugural Strategic Dialogue in Dhaka last year, and welcoming the progress made in bilateral relations. Both sides underscored the importance of an exchange of visits and interactions at the highest political level, including the visit of the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to Bangladesh in February 2018. Both sides briefed on their countries’ political developments domestically and internationally.

The UK restated its commitment to maintain a high quality service for Bangladeshi nationals at the visa application centres in Dhaka and Sylhet. The UK looked forward to early implementation of the Cross-Border Higher Education Rules which will allow UK universities to operate in Bangladesh.

Both countries agreed on the importance of education for women and girls. The UK welcomed the significant progress Bangladesh has made in this area.

The UK welcomed Bangladesh’s continued commitment to take back its citizens who no longer have the right to remain in the UK, and welcomed significant progress in this regard.

The UK congratulated Bangladesh for being on course to graduating to middle income country status. It welcomed Bangladesh’s efforts and commitment to improving performance against the World Bank’s “Doing Business Index”. Both sides agreed that trade was an important tool in tackling poverty, and that increasing bilateral trade could bring significant benefits to both countries.

The UK encouraged Bangladesh to continue addressing human and labour rights issues, in the garment industries.

Both sides affirmed their strong commitment to the implementation of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” including Sustainable Development Goals. The UK and Bangladesh reiterated the importance of coordinated global action on climate change and reaffirmed their strong support for early and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement of 2015.

Both sides agreed to work closely in support of Prime Minister May’s goal to cultivate a new, global and co-ordinated approach to eliminate forced, labour, modern forms of slavery and human trafficking.

The UK and Bangladesh reaffirmed their support for the Commonwealth and looked forward to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in London in April 2018.

Both sides agreed to arrange appropriate celebrations in London and Dhaka in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UK and Bangladesh.

Commenting on the Strategic Dialogue, Sir Simon McDonald said:

I was glad to host the second Strategic Dialogue with my Bangladesh counterpart Md. Shahidul Haque in London. We held good discussions across a range of high priority areas for both the UK and Bangladesh.

The Strategic Dialogue was held at an important juncture for both countries as the UK prepares to leave the European Union and Bangladesh advances to middle income country status. I repeated the UK’s commitment to continue tariff-free market access for Bangladeshi goods entering the UK market after the UK leaves the European Union.

The UK looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit which takes place in London next month.

Commenting on the Strategic Dialogue, Md. Shahidul Haque said:

The second Strategic Dialogue provided us an important opportunity to discuss how both sides can encourage transition to a broader relationship between the UK and Bangladesh in the post-Brexit and post-LDC context. We agreed to planning now for a future development partnership focussed on innovation, knowledge, skills development and employment while continuing to ensure that no-one is left behind, especially women, girls, and people with disabilities.

We appreciated the UK Government’s firm commitment to continue to provide duty-free, quota-free market access to Bangladeshi goods to the UK market after it left the European Union. We highlighted the valuable contribution that the British-Bangladeshi community continues to contribute to British society and prosperity.

Notes to Editors:

1. This was the second Strategic Dialogue between the United Kingdom and Bangladesh. The first Strategic Dialogue was hosted by Bangladesh in March 2017. The second Strategic Dialogue took place at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The third Strategic Dialogue will be held in Dhaka in 2019.

2. The UK is Bangladesh’s largest bilateral development partner.

3. The UK will host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in London from 16-20 April.

BEIS, as the department responsible for research within the UK, would like to acknowledge Professor Hawking’s impact upon the world of science and its public perception. His discovery that black holes have a temperature and produce radiation, now known as Hawking radiation, has enhanced our sense of the universe in a profound way.

As well as being one of the leading researchers in the field of theoretical physics, Professor Hawking also sought to explain many of these complex scientific ideas to a wider audience through popular books, most notably his bestseller A Brief History of Time, and through popular culture.

Sam Gyimah, Minister for Universities, Science, Research, and Innovation, captured the sentiments of many when, reflecting on Professor Hawking’s death, he spoke of his respect for:

A brilliant scientist. An extraordinary life. A triumph of the human spirit.

Gian Guidice, Head of Theoretical Physics at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) said:

Hawking’s results are a constant source of inspiration for theoretical research done at CERN.

Hawking has been an inspiration to generations of young people across the world. Many have developed a passion for science because of him and his work.